Swiss gold fund manager Egon von Greyerz, interviewed by King World News, reports that Swiss gold refiners say all their production is being absorbed by China and India and there's no need to market gold, since everything coming out of the mines is spoken for.

Trump Submits to Neocon OrthodoxyIn his Mideast trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel, President Trump sought some political safe harbor by tacking toward neocon orthodoxy and jettisoning his campaign promises of a more rational strategy.

Talk about cutting your own throat! And it's the same all over the planet. Humans are incredibly short-sighted, not to mention greedy and stupid. What's more, our "leaders" facilitate this madness. -- RF

Supply problems hit production at BMW: FocusProblems at one of its suppliers has forced German carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) to halt production in Leipzig and could hit its plants in China and South Africa, German magazine Focus reported in its online edition.

Forget Supersonic. Hypersonic Is the U.S. Military's New SpeedIn the future, military dominance will depend partly on how fast you can fly and how quickly you can get into space. That's one of the guiding principles behind an advanced Pentagon project to build a spacecraft able to launch smaller payloads into low-earth orbit on short notice, and at lower cost.

Trump goes on Iran-bashing tourUS President Donald Trump, arriving in Israel on May 22 right after a stop in Saudi Arabia, found another ally eager to praise him for his tough stance on Iran — and encourage him to get even tougher.

Europe May Finally Rethink NATO CostsBy dunning NATO nations to chip more money into the military alliance, President Trump may inadvertently cause some Europeans to rethink the over-the-top anti-Russian propaganda.

Yes, austerity kills. But the notion that, because austerity "doesn't work," we need to turn on the money spigot, betrays the mistaken thinking of spending proponents, who strangely believe that the good times will roll again, making it possible to pay back money borrowed to avoid austerity. Unfortunately, austerity is the New World Order. -- RF

Thursday, May 25, 2017

News Links, May 26, 2017

"Emergency" Stimulus Is Now PermanentWhat do we call a status quo in which "emergency measures" have become permanent props? A failure. The "emergency" responses to the Global Financial Meltdown of 2008-09 are, eight years on, permanent fixtures. Everyone knows what would happen if the deficit spending, money-printing, zero interest rates, shadow banking, asset purchases by central banks and all the rest of the Keynesian Cult's program stopped: the status quo falls apart.

Hillary Clinton's Syria RevengeHad Hillary Clinton been elected, she would likely have turned the Syrian war into a global conflict within weeks of taking the oath. However, Clinton may yet prevail. "With Donald Trump now dutifully in synch with the War Party, the U.S. has countered the Syrian-Russian-Iranian-Turkish 'de-escalation' in Syria with a major escalation: 'no-go zones.'

Ukraine Factions Vie for Lobbying EdgeThough many Ukrainians live in poverty, government officials and oligarchs lavish millions on Washington insiders to buy influence, another example of how foreign lobbying can fuel a crisis.

Twitter Suspends WND For Seth Rich StoryEndless PropagandaThe Big Lie works. The Democrat/War Party concocts several howling lies per week, amplifies them endlessly in the corporate media, and then repeats the process the next week with a new batch of lies against targeted states and Donald Trump's associates. Meanwhile, the Democrats offer absolutely nothing of substance.

In the days of high net energy, it seemed sensible to host the games, and indeed was a much lighter burden than now. Net energy decline guarantees that costs will continue to soar. Cities are having trouble just with the upkeep of the infrastructure needed to maintain their urban functions; adding the Olympics is now a back-breaking load. Now's the time to ask the question: How much longer until the last Olympics? -- RF

But there will be no glorious future in which everybody is hailing EV taxis with their smartphones. There will be far fewer cars of any kind, and — judging by the rate that infrastructure is already deteriorating — few well-maintained roads for them to use. -- RF

U.S. may review plan to relocate forces in Okinawa to GuamU.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen Robert Neller said Wednesday the country is considering reviewing its plan to relocate U.S. Marines in Okinawa to Guam in light of recent developments in North Korea and environmental concerns in Guam.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

News Links, May 24, 2017

## Global Ponzi meltdown/House of Cards/global cooling/deflationary collapse ##Our 24/7 economy and the wealth of nationsResearchers examine the impact on children's development as more parents work nonstandard hours, sacrificing health and well-being

Fuel Theft Report Exposes '800-pound Gorilla'It funds illicit activities such as terrorism, transnational crime, militancy and insurgency. Left unchecked, it can contribute to endemic corruption, erode the rule of law and even disguise itself as a public good – an agent of social welfare. Moreover, it occurs on a scale approaching that of drug and arms trafficking. Nevertheless, this problem often receives scant attention from government authorities. What is this proverbial 800-pound gorilla? The theft of refined oil products.

Wildlife Traffickers Exploiting Airlines Worldwide A new analysis of global airport wildlife seizure and trafficking data reveals that wildlife traffickers around the world are heavily exploiting the air transport sector to smuggle protected and endangered animals and animal products on commercial flights.

New Cracks in Russia-gate 'Assessment'President Obama's ex-intelligence chiefs admit they limited input into the Russia-gate "assessment," which was handled by "hand-picked" analysts, raising the specter of politicized intelligence.Trump Lets Saudis Off on 9/11 EvidenceLike his predecessors, President Trump made nice with the rich royals of Saudi Arabia, despite damning evidence that they have supported Islamic terrorists, including the 9/11 attackers.

Sloppy Subprime Loans Will Deepen Auto WoesIt's no secret the auto-loan business has been going gangbusters in the past few years. But it's surprising to learn just how lax lending standards have become as firms jostle for market share.